Chapter 57

Chapter 57
It was past seven at night; Jordan was outside Bella's house waiting. They had agreed to meet up at six at the restaurant, but after waiting for an hour and Bella didn't show up, Jordan called her.
"My car isn't starting up," Bella told him. "I'm about to get a taxi."
"If you're still at home, wait for me. I will come pick you up," Jordan told her.
Jordan left the restaurant immediately and headed to Bella's place. Bella had entered the house when he came, and he had to wait for her to come out.
"Thank you for picking me up," Bella told him when she entered the car.
Jordan only nodded and then drove off. Throughout the drive, he said nothing. Bella said nothing too. The car stopped in front of the restaurant, and they got out. They entered the restaurant and sat down.
"What do you want to eat?" Jordan asked.
"Well," Bella mumbled. "I think I owe you an explanation as to why I wasn't here at the said time."
Although Jordan said nothing to her, she could tell he wasn't happy with how things turned out.
"Wasn't your car the problem? You said it wasn't starting," Jordan answered, not glancing at her.
"Yes," Bella answered. "But that was only a few minutes ago. I was caught up with work. I couldn't get away."
Jordan looked at her. "And you didn't think you should tell me?"
"I'm sorry," Bella said. "I thought I would be able to meet up."
"And when you couldn't? Calling me was supposed to be the next thing."
Bella nodded. She thought about it, but then she thought explaining to him in person was better.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled. "I will do better next time."
Jordan nodded. "Are you ready to make your orders now?"
He wasn't going to go on with that conversation; there wasn't anything to talk about. Bella, on the other hand, wondered if he was still angry; he had no emotion.
Bella knew Jordan didn't want to go on with the conversation; she did not try to continue it either. She went on to make her order; Jordan did too.
"So how was work? Were you able to finish the work that made you keep me waiting?"
Bella shook her head. "No, I still need to go back to work."
"Are you going to work overnight?" Jordan asked.
"Yes, she's coming for her first fitting tomorrow. The dress needs to be ready by the day after tomorrow."
"It seems like an express job?"
Bella nodded. "Yes, it is. The..."
The waiter showed up. "Your order is here." He placed the plates on the table, as well as the wine. "Enjoy your meal."
"Thank you," Bella mumbled, and he left.
"The bride's mother is one of my top clients," Bella continued.
Jordan furrowed his brows. "And she did not book ahead of time?"
"Apparently, the bride had her dream wedding dress in mind and gave it to someone she thought would give her what she wanted, but when she got the wedding dress, it wasn't what she wanted. So her mother brought her to me."
"Hmmm," Jordan mumbled. "And now you have to overwork yourself?"
"It's not really overwork. The bride is considerate. She was okay with making some adjustments to the design. We will be able to meet up."
Jordan nodded. "So when do you plan to go back to work?"
"Ten," Bella answered. "Or eleven."
She needed to give other workers enough time to rest and be ready to work.
Jordan stared at his watch. "Then I should be releasing you soon, so you can go back home, rest, and change before going back to work. But now that your car isn't starting, how are you going to..."
"Before I left the house, I already called the mobile mechanic service I use. They already sent someone. The car should be ready before I get back."
Jordan nodded. "We should eat before it gets cold."
They ate in silence.
"So," Jordan said, dropping his glass of wine. "Are you joining the competition?"
They were done eating now, and the table had been cleared, leaving the bottle of wine and their glasses.
"You haven't told me the details of the competition," Bella said. "We couldn't talk about it yesterday."
Jordan nodded. "I see. There isn't much information on it yet. It's a fashion competition, though. You either apply as a person or as a group." Bella nodded, and he went on. "As for the rhem, it's not out yet. I will let you know when it's out." Bella nodded. "You can try it out. I mean the competition."
Bella nodded. "I will think about it."
She had expected detailed information about the competition, but it seemed she wouldn't be getting that.
Silence lingered between them. Bella looked out through the window. This wasn't the dinner date she expected.
Maybe if she had shown up at the promised time, it wouldn't feel awkward as it does now. She thought. How long are they going to sit in silence?
She picked up her glass of wine and sipped from it. When she dropped her glass, she noticed Jordan was staring at her. The look on his face was different from the one he had when they came in; Bella wondered why.
"Do you have something to say?" She asked.
He smiled. "When do you think we can go on a date?"
Bella furrowed her brows. "A date?"
He nodded. "Yes, and I mean a proper one, different from today's?"
"I will see when I'm free," Bella replied.
"I will be waiting," Jordan answered. "I hope you won't keep me waiting."
Bella rolled her eyes slightly. Why does he keep referring to what had happened? Didn't she apologize? And he acted like he didn't care.
"Are you still angry with me?" She asked.
"No? Why would you say that?"
"Well," Bella said. "You wouldn't stop referring to it."
"I'm so sorry," Jordan said. "It wasn't intentional. I was only trying to keep the conversation going."
"And you did," Bella mumbled. She stared at the phone. "Well, I think we should get going."
Bella wasn't going to go on with this dinner date. It wasn't only awkward between them; she was already feeling it wasn't a good idea coming in the first place.
Jordan nodded and stood up. "I will take you home."
"Thank you," Bella mumbled.
They got to the car, and Jordan drove off. During the drive, Bella's phone kept ringing several times, and she had to pick up because they were calls from work.
"Are you always this busy?" Jordan asked.
"Not always," Bella replied. "But at this time of the year, my hands are always full."
"When do you ever have time to date?" Bella stared at him, and he smiled. "I'm not trying to pry into your personal life, but..." He sighed. "With how busy you are, how do you have fun?"
Bella shrugged. She didn't know why he asked the question; it didn't matter either.
"If it involves the people I love, I create time," she answered. "Because they matter more than work."
"And your boyfriend?"